It's amazing how many people here have completely missed the point of the comic.

It's not about ponycons specifically, it's about what female geeks have been putting up with at every kind of geek convention (be it for comics, games, movies or whatever) for eons. It's a gender-flipped version.

It's satirizing how women are being treated by male nerds for "not being real geeks" or "being attention seeking" when they turn up at conventions, do cosplay, or comment on nerd culture.

This seems quite obvious but this seems to have flown over the heads of 90% of the commenters here who, much like yourself, think that it would be awesome to be sexually harrassed and dismissed due to your gender.

It's satirizing how women are being treated by male nerds for "not being real geeks" or "being attention seeking" when they turn up at conventions, do cosplay, or comment on nerd culture.

This seems quite obvious but this seems to have flown over the heads of 90% of the commenters here who, much like yourself, think that it would be awesome to be sexually harrassed and dismissed due to your gender.

Also, the anti-pony crowd have a habit of assuming all bronies are hipsters that only claim to like MLP:FIM "ironically" whatever the hell that even means. I've had people tell me that I only claim to like the show because of hype and that I just want attention. Apparently, other people know why I like the things I like better than I do myself.

I was assuming Grey knew people thought like that and used it to make a point.

Sylocat:It's amazing how many people here have completely missed the point of the comic.

It's not about ponycons specifically, it's about what female geeks have been putting up with at every kind of geek convention (be it for comics, games, movies or whatever) for eons. It's a gender-flipped version.

Is empathy really that low around these parts?

This guy has nailed it - the comic is a reaction to the male "Geek Gatekeeper" crap that's going on. By gender-flipping the situation it becomes painfully obvious what's going on (or it should, apparently it's kinda wooshing over most heads).

As to the stereotypical "She can sexually abuse me anytime" responses - grow up. If you imagine you're into (Geek pursuit X) and you're consistently barred from talking about it/taking part in it because everyone just wants to make lewd comments you'd get pretty damn sick of it very, very fast. Add in some "You're not REALLY an X" comments and you're into raegface territory.

It's satirizing how women are being treated by male nerds for "not being real geeks" or "being attention seeking" when they turn up at conventions, do cosplay, or comment on nerd culture.

This seems quite obvious but this seems to have flown over the heads of 90% of the commenters here who, much like yourself, think that it would be awesome to be sexually harrassed and dismissed due to your gender.

Well think about it. Since when do nerds get a GROUP of women fawning over their physical traits?

The male audience would not be used to it, and would find it an ego boost. They view it as validation for a short while.

The comments would be dismissed, most likely because gamers have been called worse online by a 12 year old.

Moonlight Butterfly:Booth Babes are totally a different matter the industry needs to get rid of them to stop promoting this boys club mentality. I know you guys like them but they personally seriously make me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome (like I'm sure some oiled hunky guy in a speedo handing out flyers would make some of you guys feel). There's nothing like being reminded you aren't the main demographic in the most skeevy way possible.

On a serious note: I'd be very, very surprised if booth babes didn't make a lot of people uncomfortable, male or female. I know they make me uncomfortable due to the overly obvious marketing.

On a less serious note: I'd totally laugh my ass off if an oiled up hunky guy in speedo handed me a flyer. I vote that the next convention that usually has booth babes has them all replaced by speedo-men for one year and after that we get rid of em both.

'TREAT US AS EQUALS', says the female.'FINE, THEN OPEN THE DAMN DOOR YOURSELF', says the male.'OMG WHY YOU GOTTA BE SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON, says the female.'..., ..., ..., ARE YOU HIGH OR JUST...WHATisTHISiDONTeven', says the male....Are women treated differently then males at Cons?YES...duh, and hamburger meat comes from cows NOT pigs.

However most guys I know don't treat women different because they have vaginas, it's because they act like boobs.Dressing with all your 'bits' hanging out is going to get you stared it, it's called being a mammal with a health sex drive.Getting pissed about it only makes you look like a idiot.

While it IS unfair that many/most, 'pretty' female geeks/nerds get 'called out', it's not JUST THE EVIL MALE POPULATION'S FAULT'.When most guys are lambasted with stories and pictures of FAKE FEMALES FLAUNTING FAKE nerd-ish(?)...you just start getting USED to 'calling out everyone'.

It's not FAIR, but it's the way humans ARE.

Also:This comic failed to 'deliver the point' because the guy wasn't dressed like a trap/whore/booth-stud (that's the opposite for babe, right?).

Also: Rainbow Dash is a gay and Fluttershy is her (lipstick lesbian) girlfriend.Everypony knows this.

As to the stereotypical "She can sexually abuse me anytime" responses - grow up. If you imagine you're into (Geek pursuit X) and you're consistently barred from talking about it/taking part in it because everyone just wants to make lewd comments you'd get pretty damn sick of it very, very fast. Add in some "You're not REALLY an X" comments and you're into raegface territory.

Really? There's not one of my hobbies I wouldn't give up all social contact in for that kind of treatment, and there's little chance it would drive me away anyway. You can't just gender flip this one because you'd have to flip all sorts of ancillary things to go with it. The differences between male and female sex drives, how much more threatening males are, how much they get this treatment in general. Just making the treatment more obnoxious doesn't cover it.

As to the stereotypical "She can sexually abuse me anytime" responses - grow up. If you imagine you're into (Geek pursuit X) and you're consistently barred from talking about it/taking part in it because everyone just wants to make lewd comments you'd get pretty damn sick of it very, very fast. Add in some "You're not REALLY an X" comments and you're into raegface territory.

Really? There's not one of my hobbies I wouldn't give up all social contact in for that kind of treatment, and there's little chance it would drive me away anyway. You can't just gender flip this one because you'd have to flip all sorts of ancillary things to go with it. The differences between male and female sex drives, how much more threatening males are, how much they get this treatment in general. Just making the treatment more obnoxious doesn't cover it.

I get what you're saying and I fully empathise, but only partly agree.

I think you're looking at the wrong solution.

Nothing's going to change if we all start taking the bad stuff without complaint. There should be complaints, like this comic, about the way some women are treated. Not because they're women but because they're people. Likewise, there should be complaints about the way you and other men are treated, because we're also people.

If you are judged on your appearance then that's simply wrong and you are completely in your right to complain about it. And decent non-hypocritical people will support you in it. Because whether it's biker men or cos-playing girls it's not right to be judged on your appearance or gender.

We should welcome women to our community. We should also welcome men to our community. We should stand up when women in our community, or even outside of it, are treated badly. We should also stand up when men in our community, or even outside of it, are treated badly.

It's satirizing how women are being treated by male nerds for "not being real geeks" or "being attention seeking" when they turn up at conventions, do cosplay, or comment on nerd culture.

This seems quite obvious but this seems to have flown over the heads of 90% of the commenters here who, much like yourself, think that it would be awesome to be sexually harrassed and dismissed due to your gender.

No those 90% really don't give a shit about what it's suppose to mean. Stop being so serious on the internet please you'll bore us all to tears :3

AC10:I'm confused, can someone just give me the rundown on this? I heard MLP conventions were actually almost entirely male.

All it's doing is presenting a situation that's depressingly not unusual for women at geek conventions and swapping the genders. The only reason MLP is being used is because it's a convenient, popular girl-focused thing that has conventions.

That kind of behavior really isn't all that unusual for a group of men being approached by a woman at a 'con. It's not the majority or anything, but it's also not classifiable as "isolated incidents".

Guys, some people here missed the point. This comic is reversing the roles of what usually happens at geek conventions.

If some male readers here think that this kind of sexual harassement is "awesome", try to imagine it happening constantly, and possibly from women that are stronger than you and don't even look attractive. You'd soon feel emasculated.

Chairman Miaow: I don't know a single guy that would want a girl to come on to them in that manner...

You've heard from at least 5 in this thread alone.

I doubt any of them were serious. and if they were, well, that's still only 5 on a website known for attracting a clientèle with low self-esteem and standards, out of hundreds of people I can say I know well enough to know they wouldn't like that.

So far, I haven't commented on this controversy much but your post embodies the underlying problem with even discussing the problem. You believe that there is a grain of truth in the argument "some people only consplay for attention and they don't even care". The ultimate argument against that is: Who cares? How does it affect you? Why is it wrong that somebody cosplays as a character they don't "understand"? Why should we chastize people doing bad consplay?

This attitude really irks me. In case nobody is aware of this:a) People have a right to be attention seeking whores.b) Newsflash: If you are doing Cosplay you are partially seeking attention no matter who you are or whether you're willing to admit it or not.c) Cosplaying as a character DOES NOT automatically burden you with the obligation of developing convoluted opinions about anything the character in question might be related to.

The more I think about it, the more insane this way of thinking seems to me. Why do people give a shit? Why is it a bad thing that wannabee models prance around half naked in front of people for attention? Why would you pay attention to the girl in the first place unless you enjoyed paying attention to her? Why are we pretending that in a time and where 30 out of the 50 highest grossing films ever are "for nerds" it's even possible to distinguish a "nerd" from a "poser"? Just, why?

If anybody has a problem with these vile "posers", why can't you just ignore them and let them be? Surely, that is the most hurtful thing you could to them and what would immediately solve the problem.

To all the guys going "Oh I want women coming on to me/being the sexual aggressors"

I once dated a woman from portugal.

Maybe it was just her, or maybe its latin girls in general - but this woman thoroughly changed my view on statements like that.

I am well aware that this is admitting that I'm uncomfortable with women 'being on top' so to say, but this was just too much.

she would grab my ass - no matter where we went - and make lewd remarks at me, again everywhere, even in public. At first it was a little endearing, but ultimately it was too much.

A lot of guys might fantasize about having a girl showing up on your doorstep wanting to fuck - but I swear it was kinda scary when she did so drunk, completely unannounced, while you're working on homework for a college class - and she doesn't want to leave and starts shouting because you're not giving her your undivided attention. She did this often.

if she'd ever actually hit me I could probably say that I'd been in a genuinely abusive relationship.

trust me guys: its not fun either way.

also, this doesn't mean that I only want girls as the passive partners. I prefer equals, but this was just too much.

So guys who want girls making catcalls at your and sexually harassing you - you don't know what you're talking about. You do not want that

rhodo:Guys, some people here missed the point. This comic is reversing the roles of what usually happens at geek conventions.

If some male readers here think that this kind of sexual harassement is "awesome", try to imagine it happening constantly, and possibly from women that are stronger than you and don't even look attractive. You'd soon feel emasculated.

I think the point of the comic was less about the sexual harassment and more about Twilight Sparkle..um...lady's last statement, i'm sure a lot of bronies would be suitably horrified if they were crucified as 'dirty perving bastards trying to worm their way into a girls' pants by pretending to like a girl's show' at an MLP convention, which is obviously a play on the much parroted assertion that a lot of girls at conventions are in fact whores who found some glasses lying around outside and stole a batman t-shirt from somewhere.

Though tbh i think it's going to back-fire given how spectacularly some people have missed the satire...

OK, fair enough. He's a sexist asshole. But not in the way the comic is suggesting. So I think my criticism of the comic still stands. He's sexist because he chose to make a big deal about their appearance, and implied it had something to do with their worth as a person. What he ISN'T is a "Geek Gatekeeper" who accuses women of being posers based solely on their gender.

He wishes he was. though. A "Geek Gatekeeper". He so wishes he was, so he could choose who are accepted as "geeks" and who are not. The amount of self-delusion and self-centredness he dislpays is astounding.

And the sexism in the comic is the same in many ways. Both show how it is easy to judge people by apparence and gender, and then assign them roles and motivations. The author of the article does this, and so do the "ponies" in this comic.

NuclearShadow:If this is suppose to educate men on how it feels to women then you completely failed. Most men would find that experience to be nothing less than awesome and this will lead to the thought of "if it's okay for it to happen to me than it's not a big deal when done to women" line of thinking.

I realize as a comic you must also try to be humorous but really sexual harassment shouldn't be joked about as it turns it into a lighter subject, even more so because the victim character is even unwantedly touched. I don't care if the victim is male or female such a act is never humorous.

I don't find your post very constructive. For starters, you're just putting words in the mouths of men. Words which BTW are wrong. Men don't like being disrespected, emasculated, humiliated or manhandled any more than women and if any man thinks they do, I hope they never have to be proven wrong.

I often get fondled at rock concerts while I'm enjoying the music. Someone just comes up from behind and starts rubbing his hands over my ass and hips. It's really embarrassing and intimidating. Of course, in some part of my brain I am actually thinking "I suppose I should be a bit flattered" and while there isn't lie in that, it doesn't negate that the net experience is a negative one. I have met women AND men who have gone through this shit and nobody ever said "I wish strangers would unexpectedly fiddle with my behind more often. How much do you have to pay for that?" The men who think they would enjoy being sexually assaulted IRL, aren't trying their best to imagine that situation in all it's gritty and unpleasant reality.

As for the "sexual harrassment is never funny" comment. Sigh. It's hard to argue with extreme stances like that. You are wrong. All subject matter is funny. Sometimes it can be funny for bad reasons, that much is undeniable. In any case, given that in the heart of comedy lies tragedy and absurdity, it's reasonable to conclude that any subject both tragic and absurd (e.g. rape, genocide, premature death, torture, racism...) has more comedic potential than other, less controversial topics. What I want to dispel is the belief that if something is funny it is immediately not being taken seriously. That is never true. If you can even make a joke about something, it already demonstrates that you care about the subject and that the subject matters. Not caring and laughing are almost mutually exclusive. So yeah, sexual harassment is horrible and it is often funny, just like anything else. If somebody actually laughed at you for being sexually harassed however, feel free to hate on that misadjusted imbecile.

Females costume in skimpy and provocative clothing largely because many characters and their state of dress are largely a product of a media centered around the perceived wants and desires of males aged 16-32. It includes not all, but a majority and certainly a vast majority of mainstream female character favorites which would fall under the radar of casual fans looking for someone to dress up as, while not necessarily knowing everything about the subject matter. The condemnation of 'poser' women is misdirected and should be aimed at the culture which puts characters in that state of dress and thrusts them into the limelight. However, many of the self proclaimed nerds who criticize these women are also the ones most likely to wish to preserve the current Video-Gaming culture that allows for such an environment and hold an exclusionist view towards women, concerning their own communities.

It's satirizing how women are being treated by male nerds for "not being real geeks" or "being attention seeking" when they turn up at conventions, do cosplay, or comment on nerd culture.

This seems quite obvious but this seems to have flown over the heads of 90% of the commenters here who, much like yourself, think that it would be awesome to be sexually harrassed and dismissed due to your gender.

No those 90% really don't give a shit about what it's suppose to mean. Stop being so serious on the internet please you'll bore us all to tears :3

Words of wisdom. The real problem is that people take sexual harrassment too seriously.

OT: Having thought about it, I think that making generalizations about anything in the sexism debate is playing with fire. Sexism should be tackled on an individual basis, or you're just going to piss people off.

OK, fair enough. He's a sexist asshole. But not in the way the comic is suggesting. So I think my criticism of the comic still stands. He's sexist because he chose to make a big deal about their appearance, and implied it had something to do with their worth as a person. What he ISN'T is a "Geek Gatekeeper" who accuses women of being posers based solely on their gender.

For him to critisize these girls in the first he had to establish that they were sexually desirable. Given that he only cares about the women in question because of their sexual allure, doesn't that embody what the comic is talking about?

For his incredibly sexist and ignorant ideas to formulate, he had to first note the sexual attraction.

tehweave:I wanna say that never happens, but... I've never been to a con dressed as a brony. (Yes, I am still in the 'brony' closet. Eventually, I'll tell my friends about it. Hopefully they'll be supportive.)

Scrustle:I had no idea this kind of thing happened. Seems like the reverse of the whole fake gamer girl phenomenon.

Tony2077:this is why i may like the series but i don't ever plan to go to a con

Ohlookit'sMatty:What are you guys smoking? I really hope that this sort of thing doesn't go on at pony cons

canadamus_prime:Wow, I'm glad I'm not a brony and I don't attend conventions. Also double standard much.

It's not about bronies at all.

The article the description links to is written by a guy complaining that some girls go to conventions "just to get attention". So the comic is making a point that questioning someone's right to be at a convention on the basis of their gender is stupid, by reversing the genders for comic effect. (The three women act like bad stereotypes of chauvinistic men. One of them is even smoking a cigar, which is seen as a very male trait.)

The comic isn't suggesting that bronies experience undue hostility (or sexually harassment) at conventions. It's suggesting that women do. Which is a debate best left at arm's length! (And behind a flame shield.)